/lit/ - Literature

>>15289654

>>15289654
I think that The Motherfucker had some interesting theories on that. Essentially the verdict is that we laugh at non-serious transgressions on social code and/or intelligence standards.

>>15289671
Dont know if troll or good advice

>>15289678
>The Motherfucker

Whos the author?

>>15289654

You would think there would be more work done on it, but I don't know of anything really good.

I've sort done a bit of work on it myself - trying to categorize all the basic types of joke, the same as the "Seven Basic Plots" or whatever.

One of the few really insightful comments I've read was from Nietzsche. He says, when peole were evolving, anything unexpected was usually bad (e.g. a tiger jumping out on you).

So if something happens that's unexpected *but not dangerous*, we laugh, partly from relief, but also because we build up emotional energy to fight the tiger/whatever and we have to get rid of it somehow.

I think there's a lot of truth in that. The key is that something is unexpected but doesn't threaten the listener.

Dumb people like dumb jokes
Middle brow people like jokes that aren't good, but make them feel smart
Smart people like dumb jokes

>>15289698
:)

>>15289722

Ah, Midwit Filter Graph, my old adversary, we meet again.

>>15289711

One other fact which might hold the key to humour: babies laugh all the time. (Check out the Youtube videos of babies laughing at people tearing bits of paper, etc)

Why do they do it?

Because babies are retards.

>>15289722
I like dumb jokes so Im either dumb or a genius

>>15289734
where does Freud talk about Humor?

>>15289711
>So if something happens that's unexpected *but not dangerous*, we laugh, partly from relief, but also because we build up emotional energy to fight the tiger/whatever and we have to get rid of it somehow.

Yeah I also came up with that idea. Another thing I now works is the contrast principle from formal joke to complete absurdity

>>15289764
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jokes_and_Their_Relation_to_the_Unconscious

>>15289764

The "unexpected" thing can either be something that happens, or the sudden revelation that things are not as we thought they were.

An example of the second sort of joke:

A woman is visiting her doctor. Suddenly she cries out:
"Doctor, please kiss me."
"No," says the doctor, "it wouldn't be right."
Next visit, same thing.
"Doctor, please kiss me!"
"No, it wouldn't be right."
Next visit, same thing again.
"Doctor, please kiss me, just once!"
"No, it wouldn't be right. Strictly speaking we shouldn't even be having sex."

>>15289671
That was unironically a good book.

>>15289734
that nigga is a pseud faggot

>>15289654
Check this out, it's called 'Jokes and their Relation to the Cognitive Unconscious'. Minsky has some really interesting insights into thinking.
http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/papers/jokes.cognitive.txt
it builds upon the stuff the other anons have suggested about Motherfucker and humor.
Other good resources might part three of the book
>The Total Filmmaker - Jerry Lewis.
Lewis said in an interview that the key to comedy was
>Everybody loves the man in trouble, because but there for the grace of god go I
And you see that all over his films. It's also interesting particularly with Jerry Lewis, in the tradition of Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons that inanimate objects always seem to be in some kind of antagonism with him. (pathetic fallacy?).
There's also John Cleese's tv documentary on his "6 perfect comedy films". YMMV but Cleese is as close to a comedy theoretician as you'll ever get, the way he dissects jokes.

>>15290006
you know there is something funny about Freud to me. Whenever I hear about his theory about how everyone wants to fuck their mother, I just imagine what it would've been like as he tried to explain it to his colleagues
>"So fellas, I came up with this new theory"
>"What is it Freud-y old pal?"
>"I think that everyone secretly wants to fuck their own mother"
>"... "
>"Now now, don't worry everyone, I want to fuck my mother too, it's alright"
>"..."

>>15290054
kek

>>15289654
Bergson's Laughter seems to fit, haven't read it though

>>15290054
>everyone wants to fuck their mother,
he never said that ;)